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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · current · bay · bat · fine · deal · straw · stand

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — a video
  3. fine — all right
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — to cut
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. current — electric
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com